Research investigating sources of motivation
for change typically has compared
intrinsic sources of motivation (e.g.,
feeling a sense of accomplishment) with
extrinsic sources (e.g., financial incentives)
(Deci and Ryan 1987). Generally,
internal motivation is associated with
greater long-term change than is external
motivation (Deci and Ryan 1985).
Curry and colleagues (1991) found
that offering people financial incentives
(i.e., extrinsic motivation) to stop
smoking was less effective in both the
short and long term than an intervention
that enhanced smokers’ intrinsic
motivation by encouraging and promoting
personal responsibility.
Ryan and colleagues (1995) found
that among people who received
outpatient alcohol treatment, internal
motivation (as assessed by a treatment
motivation questionnaire) was related
positively to both treatment involvement
and retention. Among the study
subjects, the outpatients with high
levels of both internal and external
motivation had the highest treatment
retention and treatment attendance
outcomes. Irrespective of their level of
external motivation, outpatients with
low internal motivation had the worst
treatment outcomes. Finally, patients
with more severe alcohol problems